


Family Values

by aintbeenreddie



Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Adult Themes, Alcohol, Drugs, F/M, M/M, Mafia AU, No Smut, Swearing, Violence, aged-up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-13
Updated: 2017-12-13
Packaged: 2019-02-13 06:21:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12977955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aintbeenreddie/pseuds/aintbeenreddie
Summary: When Frank Kaspbrak dies, he leaves behind his blood stained empire to his wife and son. Eddie wants nothing to do with the family business, while Sonia is ruthless, manipulative, and will stop at nothing to keep him in her grasp. His life takes a different turn when the one person he falls in love with turns out to be a cop, who happens to be part of a team trying to take down his family.





	Family Values

It really didn’t surprise anyone when squad cars swarmed the beach parking lot. Typical disturbances such as fights broke out all the time, or some dumb teenager thinking they can get away with petty theft, but not today. The body of a young girl had washed up the short earlier that morning, battered and bruised. This was the fourth body they had found this month, and they were no closer to catching the people involved as they were to figuring out why the body count was rising. They had some inkling of what was going on, but with no hard evidence, it wasn’t going to be easy to bring down the biggest family in Los Angeles.

* * *

Richie Tozier had transferred to LAPD for two full months now, and he was honestly bored. Not that there wasn’t anything going on; it’s more that no one will give him anything to do. _No, actually, they gave me plenty to do_ , he thought bitterly as he stared at the mountain of paperwork the Chief had dropped on his desk yesterday morning. He get that being new and one of the youngest detectives on the force, he still had a long way to go to prove himself. But he figured having graduated the academy at the top of his class and pass the detective exam at the age of 24 should at least amount to something. _Nope, still a rookie_ , rang out in his head as he doodled an obscene drawing on one of the reports he was supposed to be filling out.

“Morning, Rich.” Richie leaned back in his chair and looked up to see Mike Hanlon approaching him. Hanlon was a few years younger than he was and just joined the force for about six or so months before Richie moved to LA. He was probably the only person Richie enjoyed talking to at the station, and the only friend he had so far. Unfortunately, he was also the Chief’s grandson. “Chief wants you to go get coffee,” he looked almost apologetic. _Of fucking course._ Shit was happening everywhere in the city, and he was stuck making a coffee run for the fifth morning in a row. LA fucking sucked.

“Sir! Yes, sir!” Richie jumped to his feet in perfect posture and saluted before patting Mike on the back and went out the door. The walk to the shop wasn’t a long one, and he would’ve rather enjoyed it, if it wasn’t for the fact that he knew he was only being sent out so that he’d miss the morning briefings. Again, LA fucking sucked.

He opened the door to the shop and was greeted by a beaming barista, “Morning, Rich-Rich.”

“Jenny, baby!” he winked at her.

“They got you on another run?”

“Always, but my day just got better seeing your pretty face.”

She let out a soft giggle, cheeks flushed, “Shut up, Richie,” and went to get started on his order.

As he stood waiting, he noticed a boy standing in front of him. He was wearing a light pink polo with a grey sweater and khaki pants. His hair was a dark brown color and curled slightly at the ends. Richie couldn’t help but trail his gaze downwards, and damn, that was  definitely the nicest ass he’s seen since he’s moved here. He smirked and let out a whistle louder than he intended. The boy turned around abruptly as Richie whipped his head up, but it was too late. He had been caught.

“Can I help you with something?” The boy said with annoyance.

“Sorry, couldn’t help myself,” he said, still smiling. The boy rolled his eyes and began to turn around when Richie spoke up, “I’m Richie.”

After a moment’s hesitation, the boy replied, “Eddie,” his expression unchanged. Richie took a good look at his face, and had to admit he was really cute. They were standing close enough that he could see the light trickle of freckles on the other boy’s face. His eyes were chocolate brown and seemed to have a soft twinkle in them. Ok, maybe LA wasn’t so bad after all.

Before Richie could begin a conversation, the door to the shop jingled open, catching both of their attention. A boy with short, curly brown hair had walked in, caught Eddie’s eye, and made his way towards them. _Hm, boyfriend…?_ Richie wondered. The other boy glanced at Richie for a split second before turning his attention back to Eddie and said, “Let’s go?”

 _Jerk_. Richie thought.

Without another word or look in Richie’s direction, the other two boys walked out the shop.

“Here ya go,” he turned around to see Jenny standing with his drinks. “I gave you an extra muffin to get you through the rest of the day,” she gave him a smile before turning back to the register. Richie glanced down at the bag and noticed a message on the front.

_Call me sometime ;) 310-555-9475_

* * *

“Who was that?” Stan asked as they exited the coffee shop.

“Some creep,” was all Eddie said. “Where were you?”

The silence that followed was apparently all he needed for an answer because Stan could see Eddie tense up out of the corner of his eye.

“It wasn’t anything important. How was class?” he asked as they approached his car.

“Fine,” the boy said before biting his lower lip.

Stan resisted the temptation to roll his eyes. He could probably guess what Eddie was thinking, but he had already been screamed at by one Kaspbrak that morning and wasn’t really looking to have a lecture from another one. He knew the decisions he made were far from being right, and Eddie only wanted what’s best for him. But Eddie couldn’t possibly understand why he chooses to be like this. Everything he had was because of Eddie’s family. Helping out Sonia was the only way he could think of to repay his debt.

“Stan?” Eddie finally broke the silence. “Can I ask why?”

“Why what?”

“Why do you continue working with her?”

Stan sighed. “I really don’t want to talk about this right now, Eddie.” Eddie must have sensed his tone because he dropped the subject completely. He knew his friend meant well, but he hated talking about his feelings. He tried not to think about everything that’s led him to this point in his life, but sometimes his mind wandered.

It had been his eighth birthday, Stan remembered it vividly. He had woken up that morning with excitement running through every part of his body. His father had promised they were going to spend the day at Disneyland, and it was going to be Stan’s first time there. He practically had their whole day already planned out with every person he was going to get an autograph from, every show he was going to watch, and every ride he was going to go on.

He remembered running downstairs, calling for his parents, and not noticing the eerie silence that lingered in the air. When there was no response, he simply thought his parents were out buying breakfast, or something, and would eventually come back. He remembered thinking about how proud his parents were going to be if they came home to see him all dressed and ready to go, and it made him even more excited. Even after he had finished brushing his teeth, dressing himself, and combing his hair, his parents still were not home. So he sat on the couch, waiting, as he watched the television, looking out the window at every sound he heard.

He had waited for an hour… then two… then three. The small boy had been so hopeful when he heard a car pull up to the driveway because for one second, he thought his parents had finally come home. But no, it wasn’t his parents after all. It was Frank Kaspbrak who greeted him when he swung the door open. It was Frank Kaspbrak, carrying a big box wrapped in nice paper, that made Stan burst into tears. And it was Frank Kaspbrak who held him as he cried and took him back to his own house to wait for his parents, but they never came.

He had no other relatives, so Stan was eventually put into the foster care system. He was only there for about a month before Frank got the paperwork approved to adopt him. He never really knew what happened to his parents, and when he was younger, he used to dream that they would one day walk back into his life with a perfectly good explanation as to why they walked out in the first place. Those dreams ceased when he turned fourteen. He and Eddie had come home from school thinking they had the house to themselves, when they heard the fight coming from Frank’s study upstairs.

“Goddamn it, Sonia!” Frank’s voice boomed. “He was my best friend!” Stan and Eddie had quietly crept upstairs, and were standing in front of the room with their ears pressed onto the door. Frank’s voice was softer when he spoke again, “Stan… he deserves to know.”

“They left him, Frank. There’s no point in bringing anything up again. They deserted their boy, and that’s all there is to it,” Sonia’s voice was calm, almost cold.

Stan remembered Eddie stepping back and turning to look at him, but he had avoided looking into the other boy’s eyes. So that was the truth. They really had just left him no good explanation. Maybe they hated him. He must’ve done something that caused his parents to walk out. Eddie never spoke about that day to Stan, and he was silently thankful for that. Because he’s never spoken or thought about them after that day either.

“So, where are we going for lunch?” Eddie asked.

* * *

Richie trotted back into the station with both his hands holding a tray full of cups. “Honey, I’m h--where the fuck is everyone?” He stopped in front of where Mike was sitting and set the coffee cups onto the desk. The place was practically empty with only Mike and a few other rookie officers scattered around. “How long was I fucking gone?”

“They got a call. Some body washed up by the beach,” Mike answered.

Richie’s head perked up. “What beach?” Mike looked at him skeptically.

“Mikey, my love,” he tried his best attempt at heart eyes, but knew he failed miserably. “Come on. I won’t say I heard it from you,” Richie flashed what he deemed as his most irresistible grin.

“I don’t know, Rich,” Mike rubbed the back of his neck. “Last time--”

“Okay, that was absolutely not all my fault!” How is it his fault that he didn’t have the right description of the suspect and ended up chasing the wrong person for almost seven blocks? Barely any damage was done, and the kid wasn’t even that traumatised. He’d just wet his pants a little that’s all… And Richie may or may not have let the actual perp get away… Okay, maybe that was bad, but this was going to be different.

Mike raised an eyebrow. “Whatever. Chief gave specific instructions not to tell you, Richie. Sorry.” Richie scowled, before Mike began again. “I mean, I gotta follow orders. Hope you understand. Just don’t go down to that sandwich shop by the pier for lunch.” Mike gave him a wink, and a smile slowly crept on Richie’s face.

“Michael, I could kiss you!”

“Please don’t,” Mike said scooting his chair away, but Richie’s hands were already on his shoulders as he pulled him in and planted a wet one right on Mike’s cheek. “Richie!” He went to push the man off him, but he was already running towards the door.

“Drinks tonight, Mikey. On me!” And he was out the door.

* * *

Stan and Eddie had chosen to eat at the diner right across from Eddie’s campus. It wasn’t a bad place, except for the fact that every time they walked in, the entire place seemed to shift their attention to the two boys. Stan must have grown accustomed to it by now because it didn’t seem to bother him anymore. Eddie, on the other hand, still felt very uncomfortable when it happened. He hated the fact that his reputation in this town was solely based on his parent's reputation. He wished he could be far away, in a place where people didn't know who he was.

“Do you have a preference on where to sit?” The waiter, Bill, had approached them, and Eddie snapped out of his thoughts. He was actually their next door neighbor, and surprisingly, always treated them very nicely when they came to the diner, which Eddie had noticed the visits were becoming more frequent lately.

“Anywhere is fine,” Eddie smiled, as Bill led them to a booth in the back corner and set their menus down.

“Can I get you started on something to drink?”

“Waters, please,” Stan replied, eyes glued to a menu he's already memorized.

“S-sure.” Eddie observed the way Bill’s cheeks reddened slightly as he walked away, and smiled to himself.

“What?” Stan asked.

“Nothing,” Stan raised his eyebrow at Eddie, but didn’t press.

* * *

Bill Denbrough had groaned silently when he saw the two boys approach from the parking lot. He knew they were coming because they were almost always here during his shift. He’d notice that he would always dread it if they came, yet when they didn’t, he’d somehow feel disappointed. Which made absolutely no sense, because he’s never even spoken to Eddie Kaspbrak or Stanley Uris, even though they were next door neighbors and went to the same school since they were kids. They had only began their interactions when he started working at the diner. He had picked up the job as a way to make some extra cash so he didn’t always have to ask his parents for money. Not that they would mind, but he liked the idea of being able to support himself. But Bill was beginning to rethink whether he made the right decision by working here. He really didn’t like the way his stomach twisted every time he saw those curls.

Bill tried his best to push the thoughts out of his head as he approached the table again, with their drinks in hand. “You guys ready to order?” he prayed his face wasn't as red as he felt it to be.

“I’ll take a cheeseburger with fries, and a vanilla shake,” Eddie replied.

“Just a Caesar chicken salad, thanks,” Stan handed the menus back to him causing their hands to brush together for a brief moment. Bill was sure the entire diner could hear his heartbeat, but the other boy made no indication. He simply turned his attention back to Eddie as Bill hurried away.

He really needed to get a grip... Thankfully he only had to endure this embarrassment for another forty minutes or so before his shift ended. After he gave them their food, he tried his best to spend the rest of the shift avoiding their table as much as possible. Only stopping by once to ask them how their food was and to introduce them to the new waitress taking over their table once he left. He couldn’t be happier to leave when he saw the old Ford pull up into the parking lot.

“Bye, everyone!” Bill shouted to the diner and rushed to the car where a girl with firey red hair was dancing in the driver seat.

“Jeez, Billy,” Bev smirked as he settled into the car. “Why are you looking like a tomato?”

“Shut up and drive, Bevvie.”

* * *

When Richie finally reached the pier, most of the beach area had been blocked off by officers standing guard. Crowds of people still hung around trying to peer over the officers to get a look at what was going on. He flashed his badge as he walked towards the crowd and ducked underneath the tape to walk towards the group of men hovering over the body.

Leroy Hanlon had spotted him and frowned, “I don’t remember asking you to be here, Tozier.” Richie opened his mouth to reply when he heard the sound of someone hurling and turned to his left. An officer was hunched over near one of the rocks. “Pathetic. Get ‘im out!” The Chief yelled, before turning his attention back to the body.

Richie moved to the other side to get a better look. “Hey, I know her,” now he had the Chief’s attention. “Yeah, she worked at that club on 3rd Street… what’s it called?” Richie looked up to see the Chief exchanged a knowing look with the other officers.

“Ritz, go find out what you can,” he walking away from Richie, Ritz alongside him.

“Chief, I can-.”

“Go back to the station, Tozier. I want those reports done by today.”

 _Un-fucking-believable._ He was already deep in conversation with the other detective. Richie had the urge to give both of them the finger, but thought against it. It wasn’t going to help anyway. And then the best idea he’s ever had struck him, and he smiled. _Fine_ , he thought. _I promised Mikey a drink anyway, and it just so happens we’re going to a certain club on 3rd Street._ If he was going to be kept out of the loop, his only strategy was to have his own investigation. In the meantime, he had a pile of reports to continue doodling on.

* * *

Eddie hated anything to do with the line of work his family was in, and he hated it even more that Stan continued to do Sonia’s bidding. His mother was a bitch, and Eddie wasn’t afraid to admit it though he’d never have the courage say it to her face. He knew too well what happened to people who crossed her path wrongfully, and some part of him knew she was capable of doing the same to him.

He was starting to regret his decision to follow Stan as he sat in the corner of a booth waiting for him. Eddie was on his third cocktail, hoping the alcohol would somehow distract him, but it didn’t. He sat up to scan the room, trying to find Stan, when he locked eyes with someone. The boy across the room grinned, and Eddie thought he looked familiar, but couldn’t place where he’d seen him before. He started to turn away, when he noticed him walking towards where he was sitting, and rolled his eyes.

“Eds!” The curly hair boy sat down next to him and flew an arm across his shoulder.

“What the-don’t call me that!” Eddie shoved him off. “Who the hell are you?”

“Eddie Spaghetti, you wound me. It’s only been a few hours and you’ve already forgotten me?”

Then he remembered. The creep that was looking at his ass at the coffee shop. “My name is just Eddie, asshole. And I thought I’d never have to see your face again, so I didn’t bother.” Eddie had no idea why he was being so rude to a stranger, but something about the boy in front of him made him unable to stop his word vomit.

Apparently, the boy wasn’t even offended because he gave out a hearty laugh before saying, “Yowza! Okay, Just Eddie, can we start over?” He was still grinning. “I’m Richie.”

He rolled his eyes and took a sip of his drink, just as Stan was walking back towards where they were sitting.

“You ready to go?” He barely made a glance at Richie.

Eddie stood up, started walking away with Stan, and heard Richie say, “What the fuck?” He turned back and gave a small smile before the boy disappeared out of view.

* * *

Richie was in an irritating mood by the time Mike came back from the restroom. It was the second time he had been cockblocked by the same curly hair boy, and he was more than annoyed. Next time he saw Eddie, he wasn’t going to let him get away without having a decent conversation.

“What the hell happened to you?” Mike asked with a laugh.

“Nothing.” It was clearly something. “Let’s get out of here, Mikey.”

Richie had filled Mike in on what happened at the beach, and while the other boy was hesitant at first, he had agreed to go along with him. He said it’d be better for him to be there in case Richie got his ass kicked from mouthing off, to which Richie had given him the finger for.

Mike had told him a little about the club they were in. It was owned by a family named Kaspbrak, supposedly the biggest criminal organization in LA. The head of the family, Frank Kaspbrak, had died a few years back, and the organization is now being run by his wife, Sonia.

“She’s fucking crazy,” Mike had told him. “Chief and Ritz have been trying to get her for years. I hear she’s worse than Frank was. She really doesn’t care about who she crosses, and from what people say, it seems like almost everyone is afraid of her.”

“What’s the organization do?” Richie had to admit he was intrigued.

“Typical stuff like selling and smuggling drugs. Some hitman stuff too. The clubs and other businesses under the Kaspbrak name are supposedly a front. Crazy things go on behind the scenes, apparently. But no one has ever come close to finding any evidence to shut it all down.”

“What about the bodies? You think they’re related to the Kaspbrak situation?”

“Who knows. Chief doesn’t really talk about work at home.” Richie thought it was weird for Mike to call his grandfather Chief outside of work, but didn’t comment. “All I know is the age range is around 18-20 years old, boys and girls alike. Not all are bad kids either. Some of them have never even been arrested or had any record in school. I overheard Chief on the phone with Ritz the other day, though. Something about an overdose. So maybe that’s what’s happening to these kids.”

They decided to split up and had agreed to keep their badges hidden unless absolutely necessary. Mike seemed to think that two cops in the middle of a criminal den flashing their badges was not the right approach, and Richie had agreed. He may be thirsty for some action, but he sure wasn’t stupid. However, they had come up with absolutely nothing during the brief investigation. Either everyone here was in on a secret, or Richie was crazy, and the girl never worked here. Both him and Mike think it was the former. They had both noticed the “security” team slowly forming in the club the more they were pressing for information. Something was being covered up, and Richie knew it.

 

**Author's Note:**

> bitchardtozier.tumblr.com


End file.
